DPNA Meeting Minutes

Regular Monthly Meeting
November 11, 2004

Board members present: Barry Ragin (president), Rob Dilworth (vice president), Claire Doyle (secretary), David Eustice (member-at-large)

Neighbors present: Bill Anderson, Laura Hall, Chris Chrochetiere, Andy & Amelia Shull, Dan and Kristin Gilchrist, Richard Mullinax,

PAC2/INC:

Rob Dilworth was unable to attend INC this month. No word on if Peg Lanier made it to PAC2. Bill Anderson (INC pres) reported that the INC meeting was sparsely attended because of the World Series.

One of the issues that INC is addressing is the city’s changes in yard waste charges. Increased charges for yard waste carts mean people may dump their leaves in the street. It used to be $35 for the cart and $50/yr; it is now $60/yr and compliance is dropping off. 80-85% of the homes in the city are not with the program, meaning the city does not pick up their yard waste. One of the new rules also restricts the number of brown leaf bags that can be picked up (in addition to the cart) without incurring extra charges. There is a 3-month window which allows for more bags, but that 3-month window ends 11/30, and many leaves will not have fallen by that deadline. The changes mean that more waste will go into the streets, sewers, and waterways. There are also problems with the city not sending out the stickers that indicate that you have paid your bill. David Eustice and Rob Dilworth have not received their stickers yet; the city is not picking up David’s yard waste. Laura Hall asked why they don’t just raise taxes; Barry Ragin believes it’s because there would be an uproar if they tried to raise taxes for any reason. Bill said people are building up piles of debris waiting for the big pickup days. Barry wants to bring the issue up to the city manager.

Park update:

Andrew Preiss was not in attendance to give a report on the park. Barry says that work was not done in the summer because of the weather; but nothing has been done since, and the good weather season is rapidly ending. Barry wants to write Parks & Rec and cc: General Services as the DPNA board, asking that the promised park improvements be done soon. Board approved. Barry will get that letter out by weeks’ end.

Brochure:

Design is complete. Chris Crochetiere (the brochure’s designer) has 2 estimates for printing, both of which come in slightly under $400 for 1500 brochures. Board approved the expenditure. Brochures will be handed out to neighbors with the newsletter in December.

Newsletter/website update:

Deadline for newsletter submissions is Thanksgiving. Submissions should be sent to canyonwomn@yahoo.com. Call Claire Doyle at 956-8054 if you have any questions or comments. Newsletter distribution is slated for the first weekend in December.

Andy Shull reported that the website link to the Yahoo group is broken.

Café Press

Claire reported that a Duke Park store is being set up at www.cafepress.com. A list of targeted items was distributed, which includes t-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, dog t-shirts, baseball caps, Frisbees, mugs, steins and coasters, all of which would feature the Duke Park logo. There are other items available on the Café Press site; neighbors are encouraged to contact Claire if they would like to see any of these for sale. Current status is that she needs to obtain the tax ID#, upload the graphics and set retail prices. Target is to have the store up and running ASAP so that people can buy Duke Park goods for the holidays, and for the board to order some for sale along with luminaries.

Night of Lights

Night of Lights in Duke Park is set for 12/19. Most of the city is doing it then; Old North Durham is doing it 12/12. No rain date as it is the Sunday before Christmas. The Night of Lights raises funds for DPNA; DPNA also adopts a family for holiday gifts via the Herald Sun’s Adopt-a-Family program. Wendy Livingston is coordinating the Night of Lights. Sales of luminaria kits (bags, candles and sand) are scheduled for the weekend of Dec. 11-12 and Dec. 18-19 from noon until 4pm. After sales close on the 19th, neighbors will start lighting luminaries at the park. All are welcome to participate! Sales will be at Duke Park close to the front entrance. Board approved for Wendy to purchase new supplies for kits as we are running low. There was a question as to wear the sand will be; Richard Mullinax said we could pool w/Old North Durham, who keeps there sand supply in the back of a truck.

Potluck

The Duke Park Holiday Potluck is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 9 in the basement of Grace Baptist Church. Bill suggested that we invite the Old North Durham folks. Barry will bring drinks, Rob will bring the paper goods.

Traffic

Barry introduced Richard, formerly president of the Old North Durham Neighborhood Association and now the housing chair. He explained that both neighborhoods are interested in traffic issues, and that we want to work together on them.

Barry recapped meeting he and Pam Campa had with Phil Loziuk at Durham’s DOT.  He showed the newest blueprints of plans for the Roxboro/Mangum/Markham intersection/crossover. The current problems with that intersection are: it’s ugly, plus people drive too fast coming south on Roxboro on the transition to Mangum. The rhino walls have helped for safety but they’re ugly. If we approve the blueprints, Phil may be able to get it on the city’s agenda for this fiscal year (which ends in June).

The blueprints call for permanent curbed islands, with landscaping in the middle, but the one greenspace we have in that section is not maintained now. If we want to take responsibility for the greenspace appearance, we could decide what to plant there. Otherwise the city will do whatever is cheap and easy, which could result in more weeds and trash like we have now.

Phil proposed a jersey barrier instead of the rhino wall; Barry and Pam nixed that idea. Phil then proposed a stepped curb, which prevents people from going airborne if they hit the (normal) curb. He also talked about making the turn from northbound Roxboro onto East Markham into a harder angle rather than the soft turn it is now, which would help slow people down making that turn. The plan would also narrow lanes at the last curve onto Mangum; it’s one lane now but people ignore the paint and drive very wide.

Barry asked for crosswalks, sidewalks and pedestrian crossing signs like on 9th St. Phil is open to putting a pedestrian crossing on Roxboro in the middle of the block between Knox and Markham, with a pedestrian-activated light and a sign like in 9th St. NCDOT refuses to put a crossing in at Knox St. because they do not want pedestrians to interfere with the flow of traffic. Barry mentioned that there are 7 children under 5 years old on Vista St. alone now; they don’t have a safe way to walk to the park which is only a block away.

Richard said that the plan 2 years ago was for a traffic light at Markham/Mangum; Phil now says that there isn’t enough traffic to warrant it, and that traffic lights increase accidents. Barry has never seen the 2-year-old plans that Richard remembers. Laura asked if rumble strips are a possibility for traffic calming. Barry did not know. Because Roxboro and Mangum Sts. are also 15-501 through town, NCDOT needs to weigh in on this, and pedestrian safety is not part of their mission.  Andy would like to at least see brick or other visually distinct crosswalks.

Barry said he doesn’t want to hear from DOT that this or that is too expensive—if it’s the right thing, the neighborhoods will go to city council and fight for it. A lot of money is being spent on Club Blvd, where neighbors lobbied heavily for traffic calming, so there needs to be money for other projects in other neighborhoods, too. Bill said that the Tempests (the business at the corner of Markham/Mangum) offered (12 years or so ago) that the best design would be a water fountain in the central area or the intersection, and they were willing to pay for the construction. He does not know if that is still the case.

Bill also brought up the issue of possibly turning Roxboro and Mangum into 2-way streets down to Old 5 Points by moving the traffic across at the parking lot there. Chokedowns, visual cues can also be used to slow traffic.

Claire proposed that if the streets remain one-way that we lobby for timed lights. Timed lights with the timing set for 25 to 35 mph are an incentive to drive the speed limit, because if you do so, you can travel the entire length of the street without hitting a red light. City is not willing to consider -way streets until East End Connector is built. If we want it, we will have to fight the city for it. Downtown Durham, Inc. is in support of 2-way streets; Richard and Barry will meet with Sherry from DDI (who is also an OND resident). Barry mentioned that on the ABCD (Arts & Business Coalition of Downtown) listserv someone mentioned making Washington St. a boulevard going into downtown. This street will be a problem once the freeway work is done anyway.

Next steps: Barry encouraged anyone to email him to stay involved; he and Richard will be meeting with people over the next few months. Blueprints are on the yahoo group site.


Minutes of the September DPNA Meeting, September 9, 2004
Minutes of the August DPNA Meeting, August 12, 2004
The July DPNA meeting was the July 4th picnic & parade. No business was conducted.
The June DPNA meeting was cancelled.
The May DPNA meeting was conducted on May 13. Minutes are not available.
Minutes of the April DPNA Meeting, April 1, 2004
Minutes of the March Monthly Meeting, March 11, 2004
The February DPNA meeting was a potluck. No business was conducted.
Minutes of the January Monthly Meeting, January 8, 2004

Minutes of the December Monthly Meeting, December 11, 2003
Minutes of the November Monthly Meeting, November 13, 2003
The October DPNA meeting was the fall potlluck. No business was conducted.
Minutes of the September Monthly Meeting, September 11, 2003
Minutes of the August Monthly Meeting, August 14, 2003
The July DPNA meeting was the July 4th picnic. No business was conducted.
Minutes of June Monthly Meeting, June 12, 2003
Minutes of May Monthly Meeting, May 8, 2003
The April DPNA meeting was a potluck dinner. No business was conducted. Minutes of March Monthly Meeting. Mar. 13, 2003
Minutes of Feb. Monthly Meeting to Discuss Duke Park Renovations Feb. 13, 2003
Minutes of Special Session to Discuss Duke Park Renovations Feb. 20, 2003